By Taiwo Ayeni
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f a man doesn’t make major-milestone achievements in good time, he is most likely suffering from delayed blessing. This type of spiritual bondage is different from stagnation. While stagnation is consignment to one spot for many years, delayed blessing produces results that are inordinately slow—such as in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Isaac got married at 40 but didn’t father children until he was 60. He had to pray hard to break the backbone of delay: And Isaac intreated the LORD for his wife, because she was barren: and the LORD was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. Genesis 25:21.
The root of delay for the family of Abraham came from Terah, his father. Terah literally means delay. It was therefore no wonder that three consecutive generations—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—suffered delay. Even the female generations, from Sarah to (Gen. 11:30) to Rebekah (Gen 25:21) to Leah (Gen. 29:31) to Rachel (Gen. 30:22), were all barren at first. The common phrases among the four are “she conceived,” and “He opened her womb.”
Delayed blessing is easy to identify. If at 40 there are no landmark achievements to point to in your life and in the lives of your siblings, an ancestral delayed blessing is at work. In Genesis 31:38-40, Jacob’s delayed blessings were obvious. He suffered one loss after the other. The thief showed up to kill (his flocks by beasts); to steal (stolen goats and ewes); and to destroy (by drought and cold). (See John 10:10.) The purpose of all these attacks was for the enemy to delay the blessings for which God had destined him. Jacob spent 20 years working for his father-in-law Laban, hoping for a breakthrough. In the midst of seeking hope in the face of hopelessness, his wages were changed ten times!
Delayed blessings not only come to kill, steal, and destroy your physical belongings, they also affect you mentally and physiologically. Jacob suffered sleepless nights wondering, “When will my breakthrough come?” One’s self-confidence can erode in such a way that the victim becomes a shadow of himself. It is not uncommon for people like this to suffer failing health, especially high blood pressure.
The enemy also blocked Jacob at the point of marriage; he suffered an unexpected delay that his father Isaac never experienced. Jacob worked 14 years to marry two wives. He woke up to reality, examined his life, and realized there was a problem only God could solve. He repented, wrestled with God all night, broke the curse of the spirit of delay (Gen. 32:24-28 and 35:9-12), and claimed God’s covenant promise (Lev. 26:9, Isa. 61:7-9).
Then, with the backing of God and his wives, he summoned the courage to leave Laban and step into his God-ordained blessing.
Taiwo Ayeni is president of Rehoboth Bible Ministries, Inc., in Grand Prairie, where he lives with his wife Abidemi and their son and daughter. You may contact him at taayeni@rehobothbministries.org.
14 Comments
Love this bible study article very knowledgable and gives scriptures to read and reference to…. 🙂
🙄 amen!!
Amen,amen and amen……….I too have been waiting for that blessing and I know that it will come 10fold in GOD’s time not mine…..just continue his praises and my blessings will rain!!!!!
Thank you Jesus!
love it!!!! Amen..Amen….
🙄
AMEN!
this is nice, but i cant quite understand it totally. But I do believe that God’s Timetable is always the best.
wish they had a version for an 11 year old. My son prays to God to stop the bullying and now doesn’t believe in him since God doesn’t seem to be answering his prayers 🙁
wish they had a version for kids. My 11 year old prays to God to stop the bullying he gets. His prayers haven’t been answered yet and he believes it’s God’s fault now. We are trying our best for help, but at his age he expects things to be instant. 🙁
“Kath”, I am so sorry about your son. I know kinda how he feels I had a simular thing happen to me when i was younger. Just keep telling him that jesus loves him. I had to learn that even though peole were really mean to me all my life even to this day, that my part is to thank jesus still cuz the same thing happened to Jesus at the cross but instead of getting mad at the people and at God He instead gave His enemies God’s love and He prayed for them ( for us ). Therefore through that love we came to Him in repentence. – So just continue to tell him about God’s love for His enemies and His love for us.Really i’m not holding on to Him or people but rather Jesus is holding on to the world!!!! It is hard to this day still but Jesus is useing me to show the world what the cross really was for and meant and what God’s love really is!!!God bless you Kath #8. Jesus loves you and is here with you and your family.Jesus loves you ALL! =)
nice; but what am I suppose to do in this time of delay? and what do I do while I’m waiting??
@Sistakay…don’t ever stop praying. God hears you and will deliver you. But you need to pray in faith. When you pray and believe that you have received the things you have prayed for, then you can rest assure that they are already given to you. Even if you cannot see them. Thank God in advance for all of the things you are praying for and the many other things that He has done and will do. You need to have faith! “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mark 11:24. I will pray for you too 🙂
Sistakay#10 I’ve recently experienced the same: “when God? seriously, when, Lord??” He understands our frustrations, but definitely doesn’t want us to continue to live with them! He wants to help us come out of them. I know for me, when it seems like there’s not much more to do than wait, it’s usually a unique opportunity to search more after the heart of God, of Love, through His Word and even reaching out a hand to those in need. You’d be surprised how many people in our own neighborhoods need a hand, a shoulder, or simply a smile! You may even have things in common, and may be able to help each other during the
“waiting”, and also help to give you insights for the future and what to do about your current situation. God is good, and He will always perform his Word/promises, it’s impossible for Him to let you down. And even if He doesn’t end up doing what you expected/wanted, if you give him the wheel, He’ll take you to the best, beyond anything you can dream or imagine.
Me 2,Im xpriencng delayed blessing.I lost my job.Bt GOD gve me a new employr.Howvr,I ws stuck in Brunei and xpriencd 1 of the gr8tst tests of my lyf.Durng dos tym,stil GOD didnt abandn me.I stayd der 4 2monts w/o work & bin onhold.My x-employer didnt wnt 2 cancel my work permt & visa.I nided dos tings f4 me 2 muv on 2 my new job.I was stuck der w/ no money bt der wer frens hu helped me w/ my daily needs(Tnx GOD!).Wen I fnaly cme home,my invstmnt(new haus) ws lost.I strtd my physcl exam 4 my new job app.Got sum probs w/ my helt(tnx GOD 4 mkin me helty agen).So,I passed my med exam.My work permt was apruvd.But my visa ws nt bcoz of my 4mer cmpny.Dey hd me blacklstd.(1 of d gr8tst tests agen).I lost my prospctv job.I lost evryting.I dnt hv money,I lost my hauz.I only hv my famly & ril frens nw.Bt Im stil thnkful coz I stil hv GOD.Ryt nw,im askin 4 anoder chans 2 work abrod.jz 1 las chanz 2 mke evrythn ryt.lst chans 2 strt a new lyf & strt my mission in lyf.Wil u help me?.tnx!